Leveling up your other sports with Jump Rope!
We all like to improve and get better, right? I have never heard someone say, “Yes! I got so much worse today!” That just doesn’t happen.
I have been reading a book that is about always striving to improve and being the best you can be - that is where today’s blog comes from. Thinking and reflecting on how jump rope has helped me improve, in particular, in sports.
As always, I’ll first list the improvements I have seen and will then break them down. In this case, I’ll explain what each improvement has done for my tennis and will mention other sports that can also benefit from them. Many actions can cross over, so I will let your imagination think of how each one will play out for the example sports.
Agility
Coordination
Explosiveness
Strength
Speed
Agility
Jump rope teaches you how to stay light on your feet. Being able to adapt your movement at any moment is highly important in tennis and I have noticed that these sudden changes of direction do not phase me as much as they used to. We all know what also comes with better agility: quicker reaction time - which is essential in almost any sport! Some other sports that need good agility are: basketball, football and American football. Some of the best tricks to practice here are front straddle, side straddle, feet X’s, and jumping jacks.
Coordination
This might seem trivial, but you build up a lot of coordination with jump rope. The brain has to seriously work to time your jump perfectly with the rotation of the rope. I have personally benefited from this improvement for tennis needing a lot of hand eye coordination for hitting the ball at exactly the right time for every shot during a match. Some other sports that need a lot of coordination are baseball, ice hockey and basketball! Some of the best tricks to practice here are all variations of side swipes and all variations of criss cross.
Explosiveness
Who else has seen a big boost in their explosiveness?! I feel myself being able to jump higher in general, take off with more power and getting in the action with more force! I have especially seen this on my serve for tennis and when I need to sprint to any shot out of my reach. Some other sports that can benefit from explosiveness are cycling, American football and swimming! Some of the best tricks to practice here are double-unders, all out sprint in place and any time you decide to go 100%.
Strength
Anyone who jump ropes often knows this to be true! Those who have only dipped their toe into the jump rope world are always skeptical about this, however, people generally underestimate how much strength and muscle you build by jumping rope. It is a killer workout for your arms! Add a weighted rope and it will only intensify more! I have noticed a big difference in how hard I can hit almost all my shots in tennis, even my backhand (something I have always had issues with). In regards to the different sports that benefit from strength, well, which sports don’t need at least some form of strength?! The grand majority of sports are done better when those performing them are stronger. One of the best ways to increase your strength with jump roping is by simply investing in a weighted rope. You will not only intensify your workout, but build muscle at the same time! Try it, and you will see a difference, guaranteed!
Speed
Last but not least, speed! I must admit that this benefit could be considered a by-product of explosiveness and agility depending on which sport you consider, but I believe it goes beyond that. I see it as being able to maintain your speed after you have taken off and had the agility to move quickly. I have noticed that jumping has helped me reach tennis balls much faster, and has given me the ability to reach balls that once seemed like they were simply just too far away. Some sports that can benefit from ‘Lightning McQueen’-like speed are football (both European and American), basketball and track & field sports (aka sprinting). Some of the best tricks to practice here are all out run in place, fast regular bounce and double-unders. Once you feel confident, you can even move to a speed rope to really bring your speed up!
These are just a few skills that jumping rope can help improve in other sports and are, in my belief, the most important. But don’t just take my word for it, give it a try! Spend some time jumping rope and then compare your abilities in another sport, you will be amazed (or at least I hope you will haha)!
Hope you enjoyed reading this blog as I did writing it! If there is any topic that interests you and you would like to see on the blog, feel free to send me a message!
Now get out there and…